


Fathomless

by Bravehardt, Foxglove_Fiction



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Don't copy to another site, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Marks of Claim, Mpreg, Oviposition, Predator/Prey, Scar Worship, Slime/Ink, Stomach Distention, Tentacles, dub-con, pheremones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 10:22:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20713199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bravehardt/pseuds/Bravehardt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxglove_Fiction/pseuds/Foxglove_Fiction
Summary: Tony and Stephen are creatures of the deep known as Touched. Tony is a fabled leviathan searching for a meal and finds a mate. Stephen is a reef-tending man-o-war and one day he gets exactly what he never asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [深不可测](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20812244) by [3enjoycultivation3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/3enjoycultivation3/pseuds/3enjoycultivation3)

The oceans, even for those born there, were considered vast and could be terrifying and dangerous. For Tony, however, the exploration and danger was part of the excitement. He knew he wasn’t the only leviathan to exist and he wasn’t the only Touched out there, either. 

The goddess of the oceans hadn’t Touched many, but there were enough of them to ward what they were tasked to protect. For him, that was a large swath of waters that would eventually minimize when he found a mate.

He was sure that somewhere there were others like him, others protecting Her waters and the many creatures living in it, but he’d not met many. 

He didn’t know if that was because they’d chosen to avoid him, or because they’d been separated by such a vast distance. He simply knew - knowledge of that was buried deep in his memories, from a time before he really existed and was aware.

So he explored. He hunted. He searched the depths and the shallows alike, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he sought. A mate, he often thought. Someone to ease the burden of loneliness in his existence. Now and then he thought he’d found someone but something usually went wrong.

It had been like this for a long time. He couldn’t speak to how old he was precisely as the concept of age became irrelevant after a point, but he knew it felt like forever that he’d been hunting and searching like this.

This hunt brought him somewhere colourful and lovely. It was shallower there than many of his destinations - warm and bright, and full of delicious, sparkling little fish that would serve as an enjoyable snack. But tiny little snacks as they were, they weren’t going to be of any use to ebb the hunger that had begun to gnaw at him. What caught his attention was a larger mammal a little ways away from its pod - a dolphin, chasing some fish of its own.

The abyss cradled the wild beast in its solitary expanse, the glow of a verdant scape beyond the stray mammal almost silhouetting it as Tony drew closer, his presence masked by the veil of the depths.

Not only had he been blessed with a fine meal, but he'd also found something even more exciting than that. A trove amidst the murky depths, a kingdom by its own definitions as brilliant colours sundered the murky blue and brilliant hues of bright aqua and green splashed with schools of red and magenta - all colours of the rainbow combining to form a life-giving and prospering reef.

Here was food, and beyond that lay hope as he stalked the mammalian closer to the reef's edge where schools of bright chromatic fish in numbers of thousands flitted with the waves of the tide. Onward he ventured from the dark depths, creeping up the side of the walls, his dark red and black form slinking undetected as he blended in with the dark crag, all the bright rich creams and cyans of his palette cloaked against the crag as he ascended nearer to the surface.

Fans of ornate coral, round and fibonaccian-fractal inspired orientation in nature, plumes of anthropocene spires bubbling from the depths down below neighboured by bright orange sponges and clownfish littered the reef the nearer he crawled. 

This was the most life he'd seen in decades, and as he peeked over the ridge to follow the dolphin's vector, he realized the cluster of blooming land almost seemed to stretch for miles.

Tony was the largest of the creatures here, by far. His body a blunder alongside the delicate sea life that he almost felt guilty about interfering with as he ripped through it. Regardless, he dispatched himself from the ground and as the dolphin caught sight of him he gave chase.

The leviathan launched himself through the currents, weaving into the miniature slipstreams that bolstered his speed and in mere moments he surrounded the dolphin, the tentacles wrapping around the poor mammal and he sunk his teeth into it. 

A cloud of crimson bloomed in the reef and the dolphin let out a shriek as it breathed its last breath and the leviathan began to feast, tearing into it's mottled and oily flesh.

A light caught his eye briefly through the cloud of blood and he was nearly too late to respond when the light seemed to shoot towards him through the water, leaving him to twist quickly out of the way, temporarily abandoning his meal to seek out his assailant. His own cape of tentacles twisted towards the assailant only for a sharp pain to spike through it as it seized, retracting in against his body in agony as Tony tried to get a better look at what had attacked him.

His remaining tentacles caught the creature but his eyes were dragged away from sorting out what had attacked him by a pair of fascinating glowing lights. He knew what it was, he knew what it was doing to him as his vision blurred, but it still took him time to shake his head and fill the water with ink as he retreated away into safety.

The lights were considerably duller and less trance-like hidden away in the ink and Tony took a moment to collect himself before feeling a sharp pain in his arm - he was still too close to the creature that had attacked and apparently the ink hadn’t quite prevented his assailant from locating him. He continued to shift away in the water, watching the lights carefully as he held to his arm and attempted not to make any noise that would signal his discomfort, but it sure fucking hurt!

He needed to finish this quickly before whatever had attacked him got any more bright ideas. He was lucky he had as many appendages as he did or he would’ve been dead in the water for whatever the hell this thing was. It took a little time to summon up mucus and maneuver himself, but he caught the creature in the slime, watching the pale, gently glowing form writhe and wriggle in the membranous sheet of webbing and give an alarmed noise as the wriggling caused the snare to hold him tighter.

“Gotcha,” Tony chimed, content with his work, though the moment he moved in towards the creature’s neck it called out.

“Levi!”

The pain coursed through him suddenly and violently. It felt as though he was being torn in two and his blood was on fire. He curled tightly into himself, bundling his tentacles in a protective cocoon around his body as he whimpered in pain. 

Tony clenched his eyes shut, the vision of what he saw only strobed visuals in his head as all he remembered explicitly was the bright glowing body of the creature that had stung him senseless.

He couldn't move, muscles tensed to the point where he thought they would either shatter his bones with how violently they seized or the muscle itself would melt right off. He howled in agony, twitching and growling. 

"W-what the hell..." He croaked attempting to open his eyes once more but the pain was simply too much.

"What are you doing in the reef?" A deep voice that belied the bright figure spoke and Tony couldn't muster up the vocal capacity to respond. He simply grunted as the pain grew worse by the second.

"You don't have long to live, I suggest you speak now," the voice commanded again but Tony couldn't manage more than a whimper and the start of a rasped out whisper.

"I-I..."

He couldn't take it, it was too much. He sat there suspended in spot for minutes longer in silence, not a word more from his assailant as everything around him began to go black.

The last thing he felt before that happened was an inferno lighting up his bloodstream and the faint sensation of being moved or tugged along by one of his tentacles before he lost complete and absolute cognitive abilities and passed out from the searing pain.

* * *

Something kept prying at him, trying to unfurl him from his tightly wound ball but all he could feel was pain, sand, and the pressure of whatever was trying to expose him. He didn’t want to unwind. Everything hurt. Everything  _ burned _ and he  _ hated _ it.

“You have to let me in,” a gentle voice whispered as hands soothed over his tentacles, trying to convince him to come out of his ball. “I can’t get the poison out unless you let me access the wound…”

He didn’t know if he did what was asked or not before the blackness overtook him again. 

The next time he sensed anything he could swear there were lips against his flank, kissing and sucking at the spot that seemed to continue to burn agonizingly. It might’ve been nice if everything didn’t still hurt, but he hid his torso in his tentacles and whimpered despite himself as the darkness took over again.

The leviathan's vision blurred, he looked down and saw that familiar light where gentle fingers handled his tentacles as he let them go slack, the large leathery appendages moved from his torso to reveal his cream-coated chest.

"Heh, my lips are over here if you want a taste..." Even in pain the leviathan still managed to crack a joke. As those lips continued to, what Tony could assume, siphon out the poison. He was able to get a better view of the pastel-coloured creature at his side soon enough.

The other figure seemed to pause, looking at him and frowning at the comment.

This had to be a Touched, Tony was sure of it. His instincts were firing and telling him that this was somehow something he'd been looking for as the slightly focused figure seemed to become clearer.

"I've removed most of the poison but there's still much in your system," the voice spoke softly just above a whisper, it was soothing and helped to take the edge off of the pain. 

"And why didn't you get the rest?" Tony grumbled, a tentacle idly trying to wrap around his core out of instinct.

The other figure moved it aside again and he groaned, feeling helpless, he hated it

"I don't trust you," came the words from the other Touched.

"What...?"

"If I help you, how do I know you won't try to kill me or eat me?"

Tony grimaced. "I won't, just get this poison out of me-"

"Promise me." 

Tony growled out of frustration at the demand, in too much pain to keep fighting, and something hovered in his peripheral with pensive movements.

"Alright, I promise - help me, just..." He groaned and as he went to curl back up, he was once again forced to lay down flat.

The other figure seemed to hesitate a moment despite the admission.

“You… were the one who attacked me…” Tony felt the need to remind the other as he hissed in pain some, wincing at the glow of the other’s veil in his face. The other’s frown deepened as the Touched shifted anxiously in his spot, looking at something outside of Tony’s line of sight before sighing heavily.

“Remember. You promised,” the Touched responded before he bowed his head again to press to the wound, spitting out some of the tainted blood moments later. “It will take some time. Rest as much as you can.”

“I can’t rest. Everything hurts. And you keep talking,” the leviathan grumbled as he tried to get feeling into some of his weakened, numb limbs. 

He felt heavy and it was a struggle to move anything in particular. Rest sounded great, but without being in so much pain he was passing out, it was considerably harder to rest - and he still hurt everywhere, even the pleasant sensation of the stranger’s lips on his skin didn’t come without aching.

“You gonna tell me your name?” he inquired of his captor and the other raised his head to spit out the tainted blood once again, giving him an unimpressed look.

“I think saving your life is a more important thing I ought to be doing with my mouth than introducing myself.”

“... I mean, I could think of a few other things you could be doing with it…” Tony mumbled to himself, and the Touched rolled his eyes before lowering his head once again. “Laying like this isn’t comfortable…”

The other didn’t respond to that as he continued his work, before sitting up and rubbing a salve over the wound he’d been working at, giving Tony a look of annoyance. “Do you ever stop talking?”

“... when I’m hunting.”

“So when you’re quiet I should anticipate an attack. That’s good to know.”

“I promised I wouldn’t attack you,” Tony whined a little, wincing automatically as he saw the glowing tendrils that surrounded the Touched rise.

“Relax. I’ll help you sleep.”

"A name-" Tony grumbled defiantly. "If it makes you feel better, I'll have trouble killing something with a name," he tried to quip.

"You already gave me your word," the Touched narrowed his eyes, he once again seemed to be trying to communicate with something out of his periphery.

"I did, but this is insurance," Tony offered, the corner of his mouth weakly turning up into a wry smile.

"If it gets you to cooperate and shut up, it's Stephen," he reached for what looked like some sort of leech or sea-slug and gently placed it over the open wound causing Tony to yelp a little. 

"I think I liked your lips better than whatever that is," he hissed, regarding the leech on his leg. "I'm… Tony."

As if that was all the leviathan was holding onto before finding respite he seemed to relax some. He didn't know why but the lights on Stephen's tendrils all the sudden seemed that much more alluring as they swayed above him. They lit up, flickering softly, his eyes following them, glued to them and before he knew it he was once again falling into darkness. Body heavy, breathing evened out, eyes shut and this time his tendrils lay slack all around him like withered plants.

* * *

The leviathan seemed to be stabilized, the leech suckling at Tony's flank as he slept. As it gorged itself until sated, it was replaced with another until Stephen removed it and applied a salve. The process would need to be repeated, to draw up the poison and have it coagulate. When Tony woke, the blood would circulate properly and he would need to go through the motions once more, and again until the toxins were completely removed from his body.

Stephen glanced at Levi, looking over the sleeping Touched with a sigh. “I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do with this,” he gestured to the sleeping leviathan with a frown. “I wasn’t going to just let him die.”

His fingers dug into the sand around them to gently layer some of the warm, soft grains over Tony’s tail, tucking him in and building a little nest around him to help him stay comfortable as he examined the creature uncertainly. “I would’ve felt bad. I already feel bad I didn’t get to the dolphin in time to save her…”

The massive ray that he’d been conversing with seemed to shake in his spot, displeased by his response before he settled over Stephen’s shoulders and simply draped there protectively, allowing the scarred, shaking hands of the Touched to brush over him gently. “Thank you for coming to my aid, regardless. I had no idea what his intentions were, there was just… blood in the water.”

His tail curled around him some as he looked the sleeping man over, tilting his head as he watched the other breathe. “I hate the idea of letting anything die, you know that. If I could just dump him off somewhere else as he was and know he wouldn’t be torn apart, I would. But that’s as good as killing him.”

The ray shuddered around him and Stephen simply shook his head and shuffled over to where his own temporary nest was. “I’m trusting you to keep an eye on him while I rest. It won’t be long, I’m sure but… in case he wakes before I do.”

* * *

The leviathan woke once again, this time to a dark cave. It was night in the ocean, barely dusk and Tony managed to crawl himself up along the wall. It had been a restless night of cold, weaving in and out of consciousness here and there and he had to run a couple of fingers over the sting mark in his flank. His body no longer ached and his blood felt it was likewise no longer on fire, albeit the wound was still sensitive and burned just as strongly when touched.

The bright blue mark on his chest shone brighter and he looked around the dwelling first to notice he'd been buried up to his tail along with his tendrils. Someone had covered him in the sand, built him a nest, and he could only assume it was his 'captor'.

Speaking of which-

Tony turned to seek the glowing touched out, turning and dusting the sand off of his body only to be face-to-face with the giant stingray. It hovered quietly and motionlessly in front of him, but there was no doubt the thing was watching him like a hawk. He caught a glimpse of the Touched slumbering soundly behind the ray, his beautiful, almost ethereal frills flowing like cloth in the wind as it caught the tiniest movements of the ocean currents around it.

The leviathan craned his neck to look beyond the ray but it moved to even divest him of gazing at the slumbering Touched.

"Jeez, I'm not going to do anything, I get the point," he spoke quietly, minding the other who he could only assume was sleeping. There was no response from the ray as it hovered closer.

"You mind backing up? There is a thing called personal space you know," Tony tried to move around Levi and the ray reared back and lifted its stinger.

The leviathan let out a sigh. "I guess I must have you to thank for this handiwork." Tony gestured to his flank. "I've been searching the waters for others like me, and I've found one, a strong one at that. You have to imagine a little ol' leviathan like me gets lonely from time to time." There was no response from Levi as Tony yammered away at the ray.

"One of the strongest Touched, by far… I plan to make him mine." He grinned a little impishly, "and I'm not going to let you get in the way pal." Tony jabbed a finger into the ray's belly and it nudged the stinger closer to him as if warning him once more.

Tony knew he couldn't be heard by the Touched, he also knew the ray had been instructed not to harm him - why else would he have been recovered, and who else would Stephen have been talking to while he was incapacitated about 'not killing him.'

Though if the ray decided to act of its own accord, regardless of the other's wishes, it was an entirely different story altogether.

The ray continued to watch him, not limiting his movement entirely but twisting in its spot and adjusting to block him from almost any view of the other Touched he could try to get. It was nearly half an hour of bickering with the thing and trying to outmaneuver it before a quiet noise drew the ray away from him as the other creature in the cavern woke, and the ray draped itself over his back like a cloak as he sat up.

The Touched didn’t seem to realize Tony was there, running his fingers over the leathery flesh of the ray in a gentle greeting. Stephen gave off a gentle, comforting glow that seemed to pulse a little, illuminating the area some now that he was awake. 

“Good morning, dear friend,” he greeted absently, nestling against the ray without worry. “How is our company doing today…?”

As Tony watched from a spot near the ceiling, the Touched glanced at where the little nest he’d been in was before sitting up swiftly and with alarm, shooting a look around the cavern before spotting him, his body immediately becoming considerably tenser. 

“... better, I see.” The warmth had left his tone, filling with something less friendly as he watched the leviathan as though he was some kind of predator.

Which was fair. But Tony wasn’t after him. Not like that.

"Not entirely," he responded with a matter-of-fact tone. "My tail is still in pain but I think I'm mostly recovered." Tony started as if expecting Stephen to come back over and suck on his flank again. "Good morning to you too by the way," he added after the fact.

Stephen continued to remain tense, slowly making his way over as if dutybound to check on the leviathan. There was a moment where the two locked eyes and Tony watched, waiting for Stephen, the ray on his back looking like it was ready to dislodge itself at any moment to attack him.

"Thank you, by the way," the words almost sounded a little sarcastic. He could have chosen to be more aggressive considering he still felt some resentment for the sting but this was the best outcome possible for the situation.

Stephen didn't say anything as he leaned over to inspect the sting mark on Tony's flank, pressing his lips to the wound to draw out more of the poison that the salve had pulled to the surface. The Touched seemed focused on his task as Tony lightly reached out to him out of habit to touch the veil on his head - soft, jelly-like, just as expected.

Stephen immediately withdrew giving him a look.

"What?" Tony furrowed his brows.

"I expect that you'll be on your way once you're better."

"Unlikely," the Leviathan responded with a grin.

"You said you would-"

"I know what I said, but I never agreed to leave."

"What could you possibly want from staying around the reef?"

Tony's grin widened. "Well, food for one - I'm famished because I haven't eaten since you and your lovely companion here stung me until I almost died." The Touched didn't respond.

"And a mate," he added confidently.

“A mate.” It wasn’t a question as the other echoed him, watching with suspicion as he withdrew out of tentacle-reach and narrowed his eyes some beneath his veil. “I doubt you’ll find anything like that here. There are no other Touched in this area. I may be able to at least find you something to eat, but I won’t continue to provide for you once you’re well. This reef is mine to protect and if it isn’t clear, I don’t take kindly to strangers, or blood being spilled in my territory.”

"I've already found one." Tony hinted playfully and he moved a little closer, though he made no attempts to reach for Stephen, giving the other his space. "You’re a strong, beautiful specimen… I don't expect you to provide for me, but you are impressive and you are exactly what I've been searching for. I've been scouring the depths for someone like you."

“I would highly recommend that you continue scouring the depths. Elsewhere. I’m not looking for a mate,” Stephen stated blandly, though there was no missing the way the Touched scanned him quickly, analyzing the leviathan thoughtfully before looking away. “And you don’t know anything about me to make any such assessments.”

"I know enough that you are a formidable adversary, beautiful in every way that I can see, nurturing... You would make a fine guardian for my spawn, we would raise strong healthy brood together. I, on the other hand, can offer protection, affection, kinship - I've scoured the vast oceans far and wide and I won't be turned away so easily." The leviathan stated proudly. "I could help you guard the reef..."

“You’re a terrible listener and don’t take others’ wants into consideration,” Stephen retorted, the gentle, slow, soothing pulsing of his lights seeming to become a little more frantic. “I don’t know you and there are a variety of reasons I would be of no use to anyone as a brood mother.”

The pale Touched watched him for a few more moments before he shook his head. “Now rest. Get well. When you are, you’ll have a long journey ahead of you, I’m sure. Away from here. I’ll bring you something to eat shortly,” he added as he turned and made his way out of the cavern that had served as a sleeping spot.

"You should take the chance to get to know me, then it won't be as much of a concern, maybe not be so much of a stranger!" The leviathan commented, staying exactly where he was told to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character references by Bravehardt can be found:
> 
> [Here for Tony](https://twitter.com/Kraionis/status/1136673976099491840)  
&  
[Here for Stephen and Levi](https://twitter.com/Kraionis/status/1136715694295388160)
> 
> For clarification regarding Stephen (from a notes page created during the story's inception):
> 
> ANATOMY, GENDER & SEX  
\- Tendrils store magic and are used to distract and confuse predators, or to lure prey.   
\+ They're highly venomous and can be used to paralyze or kill small fish for food.  
\+ They're also capable of various forms of hypnotism.  
\- Is simultaneously hermaphroditic, possessing both a vagina and a penis for use as required.  
\+ Regardless, he identifies as male.  
\- Adaptable sex organs - as there are very few creatures like Stephen, his sex organs are adaptable and allow for him to either father- or mother-offspring, or, if no suitable option is available, to reproduce asexually.  
\+ Unlike sexual reproduction, Stephen would have to actually lay eggs and then fertilize them, leaving him somewhat more vulnerable during that state as he would have to protect the eggs from predators while they prepared to hatch.  
\+ In the case of sexual reproduction, Stephen is ovoviviparous - sustaining eggs within himself until the eggs are ready to hatch, which gives him considerably more mobility with which to protect potential offspring.  
\- Stephen's physical sex is fluid and adapts to his conditions and requirements.  
\+ Per Wikipedia: Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which either partner can act as the "female" or "male."
> 
> This story was co-written by two authors from start to finish. You can find us on Twitter:
> 
> [Amy (Foxglove)](https://twitter.com/marvelwizardmom)  
[Astral (Bravehardt)](https://twitter.com/Kraionis)


	2. Chapter 2

Stephen came back a few hours later with some smaller fish, nothing big. It wasn't exactly to Tony's liking as he preferred game that had more blood to it, taking some satisfaction on biting into a juicy kill. Though food was food and in his state (under the policing of a certain stingray and reef guardian) he wasn't about to speak up and gladly took the offerings as they came.

Stephen didn't say much, making no further attempts to get to know him, but there was no doubt that Tony was drawing out his recovery and feigning his poor health while gathering intel on the other Touched.

He spent time observing the other's patterns and routines, taking time to get to know him so that he had at least something. On occasion, he'd stalk the other from his dwelling, follow his routes and where he went so he knew exactly where Stephen was at every moment of the day, just as he did his prey.

Except Stephen wasn't prey, he was a treasure and Tony was a treasure hunter mapping out his paths and marking his ways adeptly. He knew every danger, every trap the reef had, taking the time to explore, intelligent and cunning and it reached a point where the leviathan couldn't feign his health any longer and was completely healed after the brief times spent watching over his precious Touched.

"You should be better by now, which means you should be gone."

"I should be, but I've chosen not to," Tony lingered, respecting the sentient creature's space.

"Leave, or else," Stephen threatened, pointing to the opening of the cave.

"Or else what?" Tony tested boldly, "will you slay me if I don't?"

“If I must,” the man watched him carefully. “Are you going to force me to do that?” His words were quiet, but his stingers raised around him rather pointedly - beautiful and threatening all at once. “I don’t want to hurt you, it would defeat the purpose of having nursed you back to health, to begin with, but this is my reef to protect and I will use whatever means I have at my disposal to do that.”

“I promised not to hurt you, doesn’t that count for anything?” Tony huffed a little.

“That isn’t the point-”

“Do you hate me?”

“What?” Stephen gave him a confused look at that, and Tony tilted his head.

“Do you hate me? Did I do something to make you hate me?”

“... it isn’t about whether I hate you or not, you’re a stranger in my reef.”

“We’ve been sleeping in the same cave for a week,” Tony reasoned, “I haven’t hurt you or anyone around you. I ate only what you fed me, even if it wasn’t my favourite and despite that you brought me  _ greens _ for some reason-”

“Kelp is good for you-”

“I’m a carnivore, Stephen. Kelp is  _ not _ good for me.”

The pale Touched huffed some at that, curling into himself defensively at that. “It’s not like I often nurse injured Touched back to health, you know. It's not like I come across Touched at all," he added. 

"You complain about not knowing me, about my being a stranger, but you could spend the time to get to know me, and I could even promise not to harm your precious reef. I could, in fact, aid you in tending to it," the leviathan moved a stride closer to Stephen and in turn, the pale Touched took his own stride back to impose the same distance between them. "I have many-a-time proven my honesty to you, yet you doubt my word."

"I don't trust you, I can't." The pale touched grew much more anxious as if his pressing seemed to trigger some insecurity.

"You have nothing to fear from me, I would never harm my prospective mate."

"I'm not your mate, and you need to leave, now!" Stephen snapped in response.

"I'm staying right here unless you can move me. Threaten me, sting me if you will," Tony lifted his head in defiance, blocking Stephen and goading him on.

The expression on the other’s face changed quite suddenly as he watched the leviathan. A little smirk settled on the man-o-war’s features as he gave a small hum. “Move you. Yes. That’s a delightful idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”

The change in the other’s expression left Tony uncertain for a moment. He looked… confident? Certain? A little dangerous, even? Tony’s brain went into an alert state as Stephen closed the distance between them, the lights on his stingers brightening.

Stephen had never voluntarily come so close to him other than when he was removing the poison and as much as Tony wanted to be excited and pleased, the other’s change of demeanour was off-putting. “Stephen? What are you…?”

Before he could finish asking, he felt fingers touch him and something unfamiliar shot through him. Not the stinging sensation, but something overwhelmingly warm and bright that felt like it came from within him. His eyes closed automatically and when they opened again he was in the deep ocean somewhere.

The colder atmosphere of the water was there to fill the void as the warmth from whatever the pale Touched had cast on him soon faded. His clawed hand came up to touch the spot on his chest where the last bit of warmth faded and his eyes opened to the darkness of an all-too-familiar expansive abyss. 

_ Ah, alone again. _

To have been filled with such warmth, even if it was for the sake of the spell had Tony craving more. His chest tingled and he vividly remembered the trembling touch of the other male’s digits before he was claimed by the spell. It had the opposite of the intended effect and only challenged Tony to go searching once again, quite resilient with his faculties as he let out a deep breath when the magic fully faded.

There was a certain loneliness that overtook him, something he wasn't used to in a long time. Something he'd dealt with when he'd left or lost one of his mates. Though unknown to Stephen, Tony was a master way-finder and navigator. He knew these seas and every place he'd been before, he knew the currents and the species, he knew the sun and the moon, the stars like his own and after about half an hour of searching, the currents and landmarks of the area told him he was only a few hours out from the reef.

He set back on his path and by dusk he was back at the reef's edge, this time treading cautiously over the delicate fauna, back towards the little cove.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” a familiar voice sighed, laden with resignation. “Why are you here again? Surely there are easier places to find a mate. There has to be someone out there who’s  _ interested _ in being your mate.”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Tony twisted in his place to grin at the man-o-war whose arms were crossed as he watched Tony. “I missed you. Neat trick, you never mentioned being able to do that kind of thing before… what’s up with that?”

“It wasn’t necessary or your business,” Stephen responded. “The point was that you were supposed to go away.”

“I did go away. You made sure of that. Now, I’m back,” Tony smiled all the more at the other, not seeming to mind Stephen’s attitude. “I brought dinner too! I know you don’t like blood in the reef, so I made sure to hunt while I was away. Hope you’re hungry! There’s lots here!”

Lifting his tentacles, he carefully maneuvered the meal out from under their folds, offering a portion to Stephen as a peace offering. Proof that he could hunt. He could be a good mate if Stephen just gave him a chance.

The reef guardian looked between Tony and the fish for a few long moments before rolling his eyes and heading away towards the cavern again. He didn’t dismiss Tony, and the way he glanced back at the leviathan made him hope he was meant to follow - because he planned to follow.

He swam after the reef guardian back to the hollow, though the ray at his back hadn't reacted he was sure the damned thing was watching him.

There were no poised stingers, no threats as he continued to trail after Stephen and once to the cave he pulled out his catch, about four massive trout that have been tucked under his cloak of tendrils were presented and set down into the sand in front of Stephen as the leviathan looked up at him expectantly.

"Maybe the next time you touch me, I hopefully won't disappear, because I welcome it in that case." Tony started again which meant he was going to simply yammer on to the man-o-war.

Stephen gave a long sigh at that as he settled in, watching Tony again with uncertainty. “You were supposed to go elsewhere, find someone else to pester. I sent you away… why would you come back…?” the Touched inquired as he looked between Tony and the offered fish.

“I told you. I want you as my mate,” the leviathan answered clearly, giving him what Tony considered a winning smile.

He’d never seen Stephen’s hands so clearly as the moment the Touched reached out to grab a fish - scarred, shaking hands curling around the fish as the other held it carefully to keep the slippery scaled meal from sliding away too easily, despite it being dead already. He held back from reaching out to grab and more thoroughly examine a hand, but Stephen seemed to realize clearly what he was looking at.

He didn’t say anything, simply wrapping one of his tendrils around the fish and eating as Tony stared at the injuries unhappily. Finally seeming uncomfortable with how attentive Tony was to the old wounds, Stephen grumbled a bit. “Someone  _ like you _ did this while I was trying to help them. They pretended to be nice. Pretended to be kind. I tried to help them and…”

“... and they tried to eat you?” Tony supplied when the other trailed off. Stephen looked away unhappily. “Was it your previous mate…?”

“No. We were… I thought friends. But no. I was… just a meal to him. Though, if that’s what a mate would do, I can be especially certain I don’t want one. What sense does this make? How would I take care of little ones like this…?” Stephen curled into himself some and stared at his own hands forlornly. “I told you, I’m not a good choice for a mate. You can stay the night, but you should move on. Find someone else.”

Tony tilted his head, he picked up two of the fish and offered them to Levi and thankfully the ray wordlessly, and much less apprehensively accepted to offered fish, unlatching itself from Stephen's shoulders to feast.

Tony slipped around it at that moment, though he knew the things eyes were still on him and it watched carefully, pausing between chewing the fish flesh to make sure the leviathan wasn't trying anything funny. Slowly, it broke down the scales and bones of the fish, chewing at the side of the large trout bit by bit which gave Tony the golden opportunity to get a little closer.

He was now in between Stephen and the ray, and he could sense the other's apprehension with the movement.

"Leviathans are not the type to kill their mates or devour them. I've heard of creatures in the deep who do that, but we are no such breed," Tony added matter-of-factly. "I could never harm my mate, and you are the one I have chosen, I would never do anything to you." He reached one of his obsidian tendrils out to brush against Stephen's back and the Touched flinched and moved away.

"Words are simply that, words. They do not bind a promise, you can't be much different, trust me when I say you're better off finding someone else." Tony let his tentacle drop to the floor, pulling it back. He moved further and Levi stopped to look at him, the ray's tail flicking idly as a warning.

"I guess this is just going to take longer than I expected, but you'll come around to me, I'm sure of it, and so will your friend," he smiled widely, offering the second fish up to Stephen. Of course, he'd already eaten his fill. "I'll do whatever it takes to win the trust of a beautiful creature such as yourself," he crooned softly.

“And that seems to be as much as you concern yourself with. That I am what you would consider beautiful, rather than whether I am a competent mate,” Stephen shook his head, shuffling away and kicking up a small cloud of sand as he did. “I don’t know how many ways I can tell you to make you understand that I am not a good choice for a mate.

“I’m broken, Tony,” he stated clearly, looking up at the leviathan determinedly. “I’m broken and of no use to you as a mate as such. Tomorrow, leave. Find something more suited to your needs.”

That simply wasn't an answer Tony was willing to accept as he shook the sand out of his face when the cloud settled.

"Okay, first of all - rude,” he dusted himself off of the lingering sand grains that scattered in the water. “Second, I've searched the seas high and low for the perfect treasure, and I've found you." He tried to get closer still, "you are worth a lifetime of treasures and wealth. You're more than just a pretty face, competent, maternal, and strong," Tony added. "Unless you didn't hear that the first couple times I mentioned," he chuckled and held out his hand.

"May I see your hand?" His tentacles completely retracted behind his back and he regarded the Touched that mirrored an uncertain look back at him. "I promise, for the umpteenth time, I won't bite."

Stephen’s hands twisted in amidst themselves as he examined Tony, slowly and indecisively for a long while before he hung his head a little and offered one of his injured hands to the Touched, keeping the other tucked away. “Levi is watching. If you try anything…” he trailed off, warningly, but his gaze fixed itself firmly on the sand beneath him in discomfort. His stingers were raised around him, glowing threateningly even but he refused to watch Tony’s face as he allowed the other to take his hand.

Tony knew the other's flesh was soft, but he'd never felt just how soft it was with his own palms. He delicately cradled the pale hand in his own calloused ones. He got that Stephen didn't use them much, didn't do a lot of heavy lifting, which was why his skin was so silky.

A thumb ghosted down one of the digits and he inspected the veins of scars over each one of them as they trembled in his hold. Slowly, he leaned in and Levi stopped eating to watch Tony, on edge. The leviathan simply placed a kiss along his knuckles, tenderly nosing at them before he let Stephen go.

"I could hold those hands all day, they are beautiful, just like you," he purred softly, and once he let go the ray went back to feasting on his meal again.

Stephen retreated back as soon as his hand was released, both hands curling in against each other as clear unease split across his face. He watched Tony for a long minute, his stingers curling around him protectively, though Tony for once didn’t think it was a matter of protecting Stephen from him so much as Stephen being anxious and unsure, and retreating into himself.

“I don’t like being touched,” the man-o-war stated quietly. “And I certainly don’t like my hands being touched. So if that’s what you want… I’ll reiterate, I’m not the mate you want, Tony.”

"Ah, a challenge it is, I always like a good challenge! It makes things all the more fun," he smiled, marking this down like a little victory for himself, letting the Touched have his space. By that time Levi had finished his meal and imposed himself once again between them, curling around Stephen's shoulders while Tony didn't further test the waters.

It was somewhat sad the other seemed so anxious, so defeated on the prospect, but he would have the man-o-war warm up to him in time.

The days that followed progressed similarly, Tony went out hunting during the times when Stephen tended to the reef, scouting the outer limits for predators and threats, making his rounds before fishing up a meal for the two reef guardians.

Open water fish were plentiful near the reef and he hunted in moderation, catching simply what he needed for them, no more and no less. Often times he returned home before Stephen finished, offering the fish which would be reluctantly accepted, along with a flower here and there for the Touched which would often elicit a scolding for desecrating the wildlife.

He would compliment the man-o-war and would be met in turn with the same insecure self-deprecating comments and this didn't dampen Tony's efforts. Both were on much less guard around him, though Stephen still refused to let Tony touch him despite the tendril touches which were moved away from or swatted.

* * *

The reef felt different with Tony around - brighter, warmer, safer… and he didn’t dare admit that to anyone. He could barely admit it to himself.

He still didn’t understand the leviathan by any means. He hadn’t met many others, there had only ever really been him in this reef, and so he knew there wasn’t much he could compare to. But Tony acted like he was something truly special or remarkable and it was hard to come to terms with. He wasn’t used to that. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Except… he wasn’t. 

After a week had passed he’d started to get into a routine. He was getting used to the other Touched’s presence. It was odd and comforting knowing that he wouldn’t have to deal with finding food, that he could simply do his work tending to the reef and then curl up in his cavern and be presented with food. There were certainly worse things he could imagine.

Tony was away hunting as he encouraged some further growth of the reef towards the east. Helping it to expand and watching it flourish was a passion of his and he was so engaged in it that at first he didn’t notice the blood in the water.

The moment he did, however, he was alert, twisting through the coral to try and determine if Tony had simply wound up hunting too close to the reef. So far the leviathan had been fairly good about it, but he hadn’t exactly been taught the reef’s boundaries, yet. As he made his way over he wondered if it was about time, particularly when he spotted the dark patch amidst the bloodied water.

“Tony…” he grumbled lowly to himself heading directly towards the ink, before panicking as a tentacle shot out from the murky darkness to wrap around him. His first instinct kicked in quickly as several of his stingers curled around the tentacle, but it didn’t stop the tentacle - and then another - from coiling tighter around him and towing him in despite his fighting.

“Tony? Tony, stop this! Let me go!”

Stephen's demands went unheard as the tentacle whipped him through the water and he was pulled at an almost break-neck speed towards the dark abyss. There was an alarming sense of dread that maybe the other Touched had merely been putting up a charade this entire time to simply get to him, an elaborate ploy for a creature that seemed to delight in the thrill of the hunt, the chase so to say as Tony quite often reiterated to him.

That was really the only way that Stephen could justify Tony's behaviour up until this point. It wasn’t as if the other Touched needed him for anything, and all the words spoken to this point to woo and earn the man-o-war’s trust had seemingly all been for naught, and given that turn of events meant Tony was truly cruel if those were the lengths he went to in order to catch his prey.

A sense of betrayal and anxiety flooded Stephen, he should have never have trusted him, never have let his guard down, and now he was paying for that very mistake with his life. To think his life's work, the culmination of his very existence would come to an end so ironic, one who tended and cared too much for the world around him only to have the world turn around to take even more from him.

He felt a gush of water run past him and Levi lashed out, stinging the tentacle wrapped around him, managing to break free as that seemingly stunned his assailant, though another tentacle lashed out from the murky depths and grappled him once more, this time putting the squeeze on Stephen. Others swiped at the ray, batting at him like a cumbersome fly and through the cloudiness of the water he lost sight of his companion.

Stephen stung the tentacle this time, but unlike before, the predator didn't relent which confused him. Either Tony had grown immune to his paralytics or something was completely wrong.

He cried for help, cried for Levi and as the ink clouds and blood cleared he caught a glimpse of something he wasn't expecting. A Kraken, three times the size of him with deep obsidian eyes and leathery black tentacles, barbed and dappled with chilling dark mottling.

_ That wasn't Tony. _

It let out a loud irritated shrill and began to constrict him, moving further from the reef as his breathing became laboured and almost impossible. He turned to look for Levi but the ray was unconscious in the water several hundred yards away.

He kicked his tail and screamed, stinging over and over again until he'd exhausted himself and the Kraken drew him in closer, this time towards its body where he only suspected this would be the last thing he saw. Vision fading, he only caught glimpses as a blur of black torpedoed into the side of Kraken at break-neck speed and slammed into it, causing him to be jerked and jostled around.

Another ink cloud erupted like volcanic ash and the tentacle around Stephen loosened, all he could see was ink and blood in the water and then the strobing of a deep blue glow from his blurred out vision. He saw something latch onto the Kraken and whatever tendril was holding him went completely slack as it was cut right off with another high shrill.

Yet another tentacle lashed out, he was caught once more and jerked around, he didn't have the energy to sting or move, it was disorienting but soon enough he realized he was being towed away from the direction he was originally being dragged off in. This time it didn't squeeze or constrict him and as they moved from the storm of black ink in the water, he saw the retreating form of the giant squid.

Stephen was hauled into something soft and leathery, curled up in a cloak of tentacles, looking up and realizing it was Tony, and he was now propped up against his back as he swam, tail whipping through the water. There was a moment of fear, and then relief when he realized the leviathan had come to his rescue. 

Tony swam over to retrieve his companion, hooking two more tentacles into Levi's spiracles to grapple him, towing the two of them back to the reef and away from the red and black cloud where the altercation had erupted.

"Tony...?" He was bordering on passing out, as the last thing he saw was the brilliant aqua colours of the reef and a soft reassuring voice.

"I've got you, you're safe now," and then everything slipped away from him along with his consciousness.

* * *

Tony deposited the two of them back at the cave, marking the opening with a black ink pheromone intended to ward predators off. He gently laid the two of them down at the back of the cave, scooping sand over Levi to bury the ray half in the sand.

"Stephen, are you there? Wake up." He unfurled his tentacle, lightly tapping the man-o-war's cheek to wake him up. He carefully searched over Stephen's body for any marks or cuts where he spotted some nasty bruising and blemishing around his ribcage but other than that, he seemed to be breathing fine and just simply passed out. 

Both of them were bruised and battered but seemed okay and he suspected either would wake in a few hours or so.

Tony put himself between the cave entrance and Stephen, coiling his tentacles around the Touched and pulling him securely into his body, curling around him delicately as a living shield, resting and watching over him.

"Rest up..." He murmured, knowing the Touched couldn't hear him. His arms curled around Stephen's body and he closed his eyes, cradling his mate protectively against him as he anxiously awaited Stephen's recovery.

It was a long while before Stephen came around even slightly but even in his sleep, his breathing was clearly laboured. The bruising over his chest and arms continued to bloom fiercely in shades that didn’t suit the Touched and when Stephen did wake briefly there was no denying that the other was in pain. He stifled sobs and vaguely protested Tony’s presence, the fear that had been easing away seeming to have returned ten-fold when he saw Tony’s tentacles even briefly.

The first time he’d been even remotely conscious he’d tried to wriggle away through the sand, his body beginning to curl up before the pain in his chest became too intense and Tony tried to lay him out, which only resulted in the man-o-war retreating further.

It hurt. 

For a short time, he thought they’d been getting closer. Stephen had allowed him to stay, would share his cavern and meals with him. Now Stephen was hurting himself to stay away from him, to defend against him, even if it was only to curl himself up around his injured ribs. He took the hint well enough though. 

He gave Stephen space, sitting in a worried heap a little ways away as he gently tended to Levi, who seemed distinctly appreciative of his care at least. He only hazarded being close to the man-o-war when he knew the other was unconscious, not wanting him to do anything further to harm his ribs, and one day Stephen woke up and even called for him.

The man-o-war’s glow had been considerably dimmed while he was injured, but as the other called to him his lights seemed to brighten a little bit. The Touched’s hands rested over his ribs, hissing a little in pain before they began to glow more brightly - Tony could only assume the Touched was trying to heal himself.

“Hey… I’m right here,” Tony greeted, staying a short distance away for fear of panicking the other again as much as he wanted to hold and protect Stephen.

“Tony…?” Stephen’s head tilted slightly to find him and the Touched gave a small whimper. “Everything hurts…”

“Well yeah,” the leviathan crept closer, testing the boundaries and finding no distinct change in Stephen in the meantime. “You decided to wrestle with a big squid… how are you feeling? You’ve been pretty in and out the last few days…”

“I wish I was still sleeping… it all hurts…”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have your magic touch,” Tony chimed lightly as he gestured to Stephen’s hands, before slowly collecting the other up to hold him. Stephen didn’t protest, nestling his head under Tony’s chin. “Shh, I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

The man-o-war didn’t speak, his laboured breathing falling into a steady rhythm as he relaxed against the leviathan.

Tony pressed his nose softly into the top of the Touched's veil, nuzzling it. His tentacles came up to softly massage the other's back synchronously and gently. He was mindful to avoid the heavily bruised areas as he curled his tentacles and ran the rounded edges around Stephen.

This was his chance to finally spend time with Stephen, actually, spend time. He'd worked so hard to get close and if he could light up like Stephen, he would at the idea that he was able to cradle the other.

His tendrils rolled down Stephen's spine one after another, soothing and massaging the back of his muscles while simultaneously running through the flowing membranous tissue that undulated in the ocean currents. His arms wrapped delicately around the man-o-war's shoulders as he held him protectively yet not stifling him. He cradled him, silently for a while, and when Stephen wasn't sleeping his grip slackened and he idly reached for one of the dead fish beside him he'd caught, ready to offer it should the other need to eat.

"Hey," he mumbled softly, a hand gently brushing over the Touched's cheek as his eyes slowly opened after a long period of sleep, but they closed just as quickly and Tony realized he was simply fading in and out of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was co-written by two authors from start to finish. You can find us on Twitter:
> 
> [Amy (Foxglove)](https://twitter.com/marvelwizardmom)  
[Astral (Bravehardt)](https://twitter.com/Kraionis)


	3. Chapter 3

Tony had been vigilant, sleepless - he refused to rest unless it was necessary, re-marking the cave when he did and blotting out the entrance with ink clouds. Levi seemed to not have sustained as much damage so switching on and off with the other guardian also eased some of the stress from his position and the two at some point developed a sort of comradery.

The next time Stephen opened his eyes, he kept them open and Tony smiled down at the delicate creature, brushing stray hairs from his eyes. "Good morning, sunshine." He greeted softly.

Stephen gave him a curious look, not saying much at first as he looked around to try and get a feel for the situation he was in. A couple of long minutes passed before the man-o-war rested against him with a soft sigh. “... you didn’t eat me,” he stated quietly, his tone devoid of much emotion to read from that. 

“... was weak. You could’ve…” Stephen trailed off, then gave a little grumble. “... hungry. I should… eat…”

"No I didn't eat you, silly," Tony furrowed his brow tilting his head and one of his tentacles reeled in a fish from beside him, offering it up to the weakened man-o-war and running a hand through his hair.

"Now why on earth would I do something like that when there are so many other easier meals for me? I told you I would protect you and keep you safe, it's a promise I don't plan on going back on," he soothed.

A couple of Stephen’s tendrils collected the fish from Tony, curling around them as the man-o-war began to absorb the fish into his system, closing his eyes and resting in his spot. “... you said you liked the hunt. Doesn’t sound like ‘easy’ is your first priority where gathering meals is concerned,” the Touched mumbled, clearly not quite fully feeling recovered.

"I meant what I said, Stephen, my word is gold. You are my mate, I would offer my life for you," his cloak of tentacles came to gently drape over Stephen's form as he wrapped himself around the injured touched as if shielding him from the world around them.

Levi snuck over to rest nearby, waiting in his spot as Stephen finished with the fish, discarding the thicker bones of it to one side without moving from his spot. “... it was big. I thought… you were hunting too close to the reef. I was going to give you trouble for it,” he explained softly, curling further against Tony. “I couldn’t breathe… it hurt…”

"My treasure," he echoed softly, a stray tendril reaching and offering him yet another from the catch he'd procured for Stephen. "You explicitly stated the reef was off-limits, just as you stated you didn't want blood spilled in or around the reef. I have modified my hunting habits for you specifically. I can adapt, I can improve, for you."

The man-o-war was quiet at that, his lights brightening a little as he curled his tendrils around the offered fish to absorb the nutrients much as he had the last. Sitting up some, he moved from where he’d been sitting to touch at his ribs a little, carefully checking the injuries. Most of the bruising had subsided, but his hands lit up again with magic that Tony assumed was meant to heal him - and the last of the bruising eased away at that.

“... you’ve gone to quite some lengths to make a point of that,” Stephen acquiesced after a moment. His hands raised as he shifted in his spot to curl his arms around Tony’s neck, tilting his head to watch him carefully.

“You haven’t exactly made it easy,” Tony quipped in return, looking at the arms for a moment before curling his own arms around Stephen a little tighter, hesitating and waiting for Stephen’s nod of approval before fully wrapping his tentacles around the other as well.

He dragged the pale Touched closer into his space and moved a hand to gently brush his cheek. “How are you feeling? Do you want more to eat? I brought lots…”

Before he could even reach out to grab more, one of Stephen’s tendrils carefully reached out to pluck another fish up on his own. His fingers tentatively ran through the fringe along the back of Tony’s neck and Tony shivered slightly, watching the Touched carefully.

“I’m fine,” Stephen finally responded, watching him carefully before starting to lean in.

It was something Tony wasn't expecting given the other Touched had imposed space between them up until this point, but the other seemed to close the space as of late, allowing him to handle and hold him. He hadn't quite expected things to move this fast, so it caught him off guard and he had cocked a curious look at Stephen when he was leaning into him, wondering what the other was doing.

Then he felt it, those gentle lips on his own and he was even more at a loss, tilting his head but just as soon returning the gesture gently as he leaned in those extra few centimetres to fully plant his mouth over the other man's.

It was soft, it was sweet, and the other closed his eyes as if concentrating, tentatively exploring his mouth in a much more curious manner to see if this was something he really wanted out of their relationship, which to this point had felt on Tony's behalf, a little one-sided.

Having some return was better than none and this was a step in the direction he'd been hoping for.

He felt Stephen nibble and suck at his lips and as he thought the other might pull away, the man-o-war only pushed further, deliberately inserting his tongue into the leviathan's mouth, further exploring as if catching a taste and wanting more. Tony didn't protest to this, his arms tightened a little around his mate, squeezing him closer and followed Stephen's lead, pressing his ribbed tongue up against the other's. They slid and danced with each other, the softest groan escaping the man-o-war and it almost seemed like when he'd realized how far he'd pushed he withdrew like a startled animal - though not entirely extracting himself.

Stephen broke the kiss just as he'd started it, looking back at Tony wide-eyed who seemed to return a doped-out grin to the other and thankfully there were no efforts to pull away, though Stephen did shyly avert his gaze.

"That was... Nice," the pale Touched murmured softly.

"Delicious? I thoroughly enjoyed it." Tony leaned in and gently bumped his forehead against Stephen's veil with a contented exhale.

“It was okay…?” The man-o-war gave him a curious look, uncertain for a moment. “Did… should I… again…?”

The other’s glow was fading and brightening quickly with the rhythm of his heart as he inspected Tony carefully. One trembling hand settled on Tony’s chest near his own glow, while the other remained draped over the leviathan’s shoulder, keeping the other Touched close as his tail carefully coiled around Tony’s.

"Yes, you were absolutely delicious," the leviathan added with a low purr. "I would have you now if you let me… see if these vessels of ours are compatible," the leviathan crooned as his hand reached up to drag his claws lightly through the other's hair absolutely preening in the other's touch. 

He pushed the man-o-war's frills aside, gazing up at him with focus, taking in all the features and sensations of the other - their entwined tails, the feel of the other's soft silky body under his tendrils as he ran the ridges of his suckers over Stephen's form. He squeezed him hard enough to get close, reading that the other Touched wouldn't be pulling away, a quiet consent but still respecting any lingering effects of his injury.

Stephen gave a simple nod at that. “Alright,” he responded softly, shifting slightly in his spot as he looked at the appendages curled around him. 

After a long moment of contemplation, the man-o-war leaned in once again to press his lips gently to Tony’s, not prying any further but resting his chest against Tony’s, running his other hand over one of the tentacles wrapped around him tentatively. His movements were slow and gentle as though the Touched was unfamiliar with this, not sure how far he should press, how much he could do…

The leviathan shifted, curling and turning so he had the touched pinned underneath him, he was ready, but as for the other, he couldn't say. In regards to physiological constitution, the leviathan clearly had the anatomy of a shark as he let out a soft sigh and pushed the bulge of his two genitalia into the other touched, eyes cracking only a bit as he looked at the beautiful man now underneath him and purred softly. 

"Only if you're ready..." he whispered with a soft exhale, the palms of his hands coming up to cradle Stephen's cheek as his tentacles held them taut to one another.

“Of course,” Stephen stated quietly, watching Tony carefully again, though his glow seemed to dim a little further. Tony had a few guesses as to why that might be, but interpreting the man-o-war’s glowing was ever proving a complicated thing.

One of the Touched’s hands slipped between them resting carefully over the bulge between them to gently encourage them out of their protective folds. His other hand soon released Tony to slip down his own form before he shifted and adjusted slightly to allow Tony to press into a soft crevasse in the man-o-war’s tail, the suggestion of an entrance becoming more apparent as the pale Touched removed his hand to gently rub himself against the leviathan.

The man-o-war’s eyes closed and his head turned away a little as Stephen’s embarrassment seemed to paint itself clearly enough, and Tony figured that might have had something to do with why his lights had dimmed. Stephen was… shy.

Tony shut his eyes, he had the man-o-war entirely in his grasp. He was encouraged to slip himself in as far as the other would permit before there was a snag when the knot of his cock bumped into the exterior of the other's cloaca.

He took that moment to nuzzle his forehead into Stephen's, pausing to alert the other to what he could possibly expect.

"I do have... two genitalia, though for now, I will only use one until you are ready," he crooned softly. "My mates in the past have struggled..." he continued nudging the knot of his pronounced cock into the other with a little more effort. It took a few gentle bumps from him before he popped it in, eliciting a soft hiss out of the man-o-war and a huff out of the leviathan as his body tensed and he pulled it back out again.

"Let me know... love, if at any moment you are uncomfortable, we are merely  _ testing the waters _ here." The backs of his clawed digits ran over Stephen's cheek.

The other Touched whimpered softly in response, his breath hitching slightly and his brows knitting together for a moment before tucking his head in against Tony’s shoulder and neck as though to hide his embarrassment.

“It’s fine,” Stephen responded quietly. His arms curled around Tony tightly to hold him in place, his tail twisting against Tony’s as well, the fanned end of it twitching in the water as he held the other closely. “I’ll… if... I can… I’ll let you know…”

Their bodies twisted, their forms entwined, he evenly thrust himself into the other's soft and supple form, throwing his hips in and out, building momentum. The brunt of his knot nudging into Stephen with every dredge as he gasped in pleasure.

His arms grappled to the other, bumping their forms and melding as he continued to pour himself into the moment until he pressed his knot in once more and his entire body-seized with the action.

"Stephen-" 

It was a quick inhale as he clenched his teeth and he dug his claws into the other, momentarily leaving marks as he groaned out and both cocks released at that moment despite one not being engaged.

The man-o-war shuddered against him, stifling a quiet noise against Tony’s neck as his face tucked further against him, his tail twisting tightly around Tony’s as his hands held much more carefully to Tony’s back. He stayed tucked there, his veil gently waving with the currents and his body seeming to continue to shake and tremble for a long minute.

Slowly, Stephen began to loosen his hold, shifting as though he might move away, though he kept his head tucked against Tony’s neck for a few more moments.

Tony melted against the other's form, digging his forehead into Stephen's veil as he twitched consecutively, then went entirely limp against the man, still apparently knotted with him. His entire body seized around the pale Touched as he let out a long drawn-out groan.

“... thank you,” the man-o-war offered quietly from his spot.

"What..." he started between pants, feeling a weight lift from his chest, "are you thanking me for?" He mumbled softly, his knuckles coming up to brush against Stephen's cheeks before hooking around the back of his neck lightly. "You are too perfect and sweet..." he softly crooned, simply lapping up the attention and the moment.

“For protecting me,” Stephen responded softly, not bothering to move further as he held to his spot, keeping his face hidden away. “For taking care of me when you didn’t have to.”

That was as much as the man-o-war stated, staying in his place and allowing his arms to simply drape at his sides, his tail still wrapped around Tony’s, though more loosely than before. He made no efforts to pull away further as he seemed to realize they were still somewhat bound by Tony’s knot.

"You need not thank me, for what I do is no more important than the sun rising over the earth each day to warm the sea below," the leviathan paused softly. "It's simply what comes naturally and what should happen. You are my sun, I am the sea, and where two of us co-exist synchronously," he mumbled softly.

The leviathan gently nudged into him, he'd long since met his release and closed his eyes, resting against his mate. 

"I love you, you are perfect in every way, your scars, your wounds, your everything - all of you. I will care for you until your last breath, as all the mates I've had before," he added softly, melting into the other's body.

Stephen became a little stiff in his arms at that, though his face remained hidden. “... you’re staying?” he inquired with a hint of surprise in his tone. He slowly sat back enough for his face to be visible again, watching Tony as he did. 

“I thought…” he started, before trailing off and shaking his head slightly. “I see. I suppose I ought to make… a more permanent residence for you.”

"I'm afraid you aren't getting rid of me until the end of the world, my dear," Tony reached up to press a finger to Stephen's nose in a soft 'boop', grinning at the other's surprise. "Unlike what you may have been expecting, this isn't simply a dine and dash, I'm here to stay." Tony chuckled softly under his breath.

"Would you do me the honours of bearing my spawn?" he inquired quietly after that, nudging the tip of his nose into the other's cheek.

“... I thought that… was the point of all of this?” Stephen responded, gesturing towards their connected forms absently. “... I thought that was what you wanted.”

"It was, but first I needed to make sure you were compatible. Not all my previous mates were..." Tony mentioned softly, bumping his forehead into Stephen's. "There's a difference in taking one and then the latter."

“... I see,” Stephen hesitated, resting his head against Tony’s and looking somewhat more perplexed. “This entire time… all I’ve done is rebuff you, tell you to leave, try and make you go… and you want to… stay with me? To… to raise a family? I haven’t exactly been welcoming. I hurt you - Levi and I both hurt you. We’ve done nothing but put you out this entire time…”

Tony tilted his head in a confused fashion, he didn't quite understand what Stephen was getting at. "Is that something that mates shouldn't do? I want to look after you, I want to care for you. I want strong offspring," Tony continued, brushing his knuckles over Stephen's cheek.

"I stand by my word that you are perfect for that, beautiful, strong and have perfect protective instincts. Maybe half of this comes from not having seen others in a long time, but you are also the most capable I’ve met, and I believe there’s a reason we've crossed paths," he added softly.

“... I wouldn’t know,” Stephen murmured quietly, “the only other Touched I’ve met tried to,” the man-o-war shook his head as he cut himself off, raising his hands pointedly. 

“The only other Touched I’ve met pretended to be my friend and then hurt me, tried to stop me from using magic, tried to desecrate my reef. How should I know what mates are supposed to do? And then you show up in a cloud of blood and I think… it’s happening again. I thought maybe I should’ve let you die but… I couldn’t bear to do that. I couldn’t bear to think that I had killed something for any reason other than food…”

He settled his hands in his lap in some frustration and showing plain disgust at the damage done to them. “And all you do is speak so kindly and sweetly… you act like I should know any of these things. What a mate should be. How this was… supposed to happen. That I should know about  _ reasons _ for anything… I hurt you, and you were kind to me after… you want to stay with me, and I don’t understand. How could you stay with someone who hurt you? Why would you…?”

"Okay, to be fair I was hunting for a meal and I got stung to hell out of nowhere," Tony corrected. "But you are resilient, I need these qualities to raise equally strong brood," Tony added. He was completely curled around Stephen, tentacles wrapped around the Touched's body and holding him tightly in an inescapable clutch.

"I can only speak of kind things because that is what you deserve in every way," he smiled. "I will continue to bring you and your guardian food, I will continue to compliment you - you are beautiful. And likewise when you are brooding I will be an attentive mate, I will watch your reef for you when you can't and be by your side until your last breath or my own," the leviathan added with resolve.

“And what do you expect of me in return?” the man-o-war inquired, resting his forehead against Tony’s shoulder and slowly wrapping his arms around Tony again. “How can I be a good mate for you, beyond carrying your offspring?”

"Love me as much as I love you?" the leviathan questioned softly. "You ask me if I think of you of more than just a pretty face, more of a vessel to harbour my spawn. You are more than that to me, I've grown attached to you, I feel for you..." he softly crooned.

“I can’t promise that,” Stephen responded as he looked at Tony carefully. “... I can try and get to know you, but I can’t promise to love you.”

The man-o-war’s face lit with regret at that. “I can make a lot of promises, but… I don’t know if that’s one of them. That’s not fair to you to promise when I can’t guarantee it… will you give me that time to find out…?”

"Well I'm not going anywhere," Tony felt downcast at the admission but he understood that the sentiments couldn't be completely and entirely returned. "I will be here as long as you are, and you'll have all the time in the world… and even if you find out that you simply don't, I won't be going anywhere... I will help be there to nurse our children..." Tony was a little uneasy at the prospect, but it wasn't at Stephen's lack of returning the affection.

“... um… in that case, is… it a bad time to mention… I’ve never done this before?” Stephen gestured at where the two were still connected, looking flustered. “I… I don’t know how long this lasts or… or how to… um, make this more enjoyable? But if you’re staying with me regardless… I want to give you what I can of me until I have some idea of my feelings for you… I won’t be the best to try and gestate offspring until later this year but in the meantime we… can always… practice?”

"Mmm of course," Tony finally withdrew from Stephen, the knot popping out and with it whatever leftovers from their carnal endeavours.

"What kind of things do you like then when you pleasure yourself?" the leviathan inquired, a tentacle coming up to brush over Stephen's cheek as he held the other Touched in his lap. "We can practice as much as you wish, and I will make it enjoyable for you based on what you like."

Stephen shifted in his spot to cuddle against Tony, seeming oddly comforted by that despite his embarrassment as he reached down to carefully untuck his own dick from its hidden space. “... this… I used to um… but with my hands it’s… been a long time since I could do anything… particularly stimulating.”

Shifting a little in his spot he cupped his own hand over the length gently. “... so I’d… just do this when I can. My hand might cramp up, so… I have to… change. I used to do other things too, but… fingering myself is a lot harder now than it used to be.”

Tony tilted his head to look down, two of his tentacles moving down to gently part the skin around Stephen's cock as he took hold of the man-o-war with his palm, lightly stroking it.

"Sweetheart," he crooned, planting a kiss at the corner of the Touched's mouth before tracing another hand down the front of his chest. "I'll show you that we can have some fun, and you will enjoy yourself," he reassured, pulling his head away as he lowered himself down, showing off his ribbed tongue before he flicked it over Stephen’s partially hardened cock.

“Wh-what- Tony what are... you doing…?” the man-o-war gasped softly at that, his fingers gently curling into Tony’s hair as he watched the leviathan with wide eyes, his glow returning in full-force. He gave a soft moan at that and with no place to hide his face, it was easily the loudest noise of pleasure Tony had heard from Stephen so far.

"That's a good sign," he looked up at Stephen, clutching onto the man-o-war's tail like a cat ready to pounce. He drew back a bit to take in the sight of the man struggling to hide that flustered face somewhere, he was even trembling a little in his grasp. Tony caressed the side of his tail gently.

"Would you like me to continue?" he knew the answer but had to ask.

Stephen almost looked terrified to answer but there was a nervous nod from his head.

Tony smiled, leaning back down this time to take all of Stephen in his mouth. The ridges of his tongue rubbing against the bottom of his cock while a hand worked the base of it. He bobbed his head, taking him in and out.

The other Touched whimpered softly in his spot, his fingers raising hesitantly before curling into Tony’s hair, not moving or directing him in any way. He simply held gently, offering soft gasps of pleasure as he tilted his head some, watching Tony with a bright glow.

“Tony…” Stephen murmured softly, his tail twitching and writhing a little where it was caught. “That’s… it feels really… good…”

The other's head bobbed up and down as he continued to pleasure his mate. He felt the soft pulsing of the man in his mouth, the gentle glow of his colours and the restless twitch in his mouth as he could taste the other, precum leaking from the tip of his cock.

Stephen's shaking fingers restlessly gripped Tony's hair, it was rough but nothing the leviathan couldn't handle. He kept a steady pace, delighting in Stephen's soft mewls and cries before he felt the man shudder beneath him, nails tightening and biting into his scalp before the other clenched his fist in his hair and could no longer hold back.

"T-Tony!" The man-o-war gasped, eyes nearly rolling back and it wasn't long before he released, and Tony lapped up every last drop of it only pulling away with a gentle kiss to the head of Stephen's cock once he was done.

He took a good couple moments before releasing Tony’s hair, wincing slightly at the ache in his hands but curling around Tony with his tail and body. Tony shifted in his hold and gently wrapped his arms around the man-o-war, cooing softly at the other as he cradled the Touched against his chest, waiting for the man-o-war’s breathing to settle.

“Better?” he inquired softly, and Stephen gave a little hum at that, nudging his head into a spot under Tony’s chin.

“... yes… thank you…” Stephen responded softly. “Nothing like… what I’ve been able to do for myself but… yes.”

"Well if that's the case then this is simply the beginning," he spoke softly, curling himself entirely around Stephen, tentacles and all until he had the man completely wrapped in his embrace.

"Just you wait, when you're ready… I'll show you so much more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was co-written by two authors from start to finish. You can find us on Twitter:
> 
> [Amy (Foxglove)](https://twitter.com/marvelwizardmom)  
[Astral (Bravehardt)](https://twitter.com/Kraionis)


	4. Chapter 4

As it turned out, falling in love with Tony wasn’t hard when the fear of being eaten was taken out of the equation. It wasn’t the grand gestures that did it, either, though Tony had plenty of grand gestures he made to try and woo Stephen. He’d occasionally travel well outside of the reef’s boundaries to collect things, returning with gems and jewels that were entirely unfamiliar to Stephen, often stating that he’d just found them while he was hunting - Stephen was fairly certain the hunts for such trinkets were intentional, however.

No, it was the small things that Stephen realized he was falling in love with. The way Tony took the time to try not to spook the small fish around the reef, swimming alongside the nurse sharks and chatting to them, asking now and then about the small creatures that lived in the reef. Despite his own preference for meaty fish, Tony would take the time to bring Stephen some kelp on occasion along with the fish he hunted for them, as well as finding nice things to aid Stephen in improving their nest.

Their new, more permanent nest was modified from Stephen’s nest - a place Stephen had never shown Tony before. It was softer than it had ever been and Stephen found that cuddling up with his mate was considerably more comforting than he’d expected. Where he’d once shunned contact of any sort, he now found the idea of being curled up in Tony’s tentacles soothing - something warm and safe.

Tony took his time helping the man-o-war discover the more enjoyable aspects of sex and sexuality at Stephen’s own behest, often asking questions and showing an interest in making sure Stephen enjoyed himself - and Stephen tried his best to reciprocate. He still wasn’t sure if Tony felt good, but he seemed to enjoy himself and there wasn’t much that could be done to disprove that. Taking both of the leviathan’s dicks was a different challenge entirely and despite Stephen’s determination, Tony encouraged him to take it slowly and not force himself lest he hurt himself.

So by the time the seasons had shifted and Stephen’s body was ready he wasn’t afraid of the idea of bearing Tony’s offspring, or the idea that Tony might leave him, or anything of the sort. He was secure and had the answers he sought.

“... Tony?” he greeted softly one day, wrapping his arms around the leviathan from behind and resting his chin on Tony’s shoulder as his tail swished idly behind him. “... can I talk to you about something?”

"Mm anything, love," he turned to look at Stephen with his vibrant cyan eyes as his cloak of tentacles wrapped around the man-o-war to return the affection from behind. He'd put down what he was doing, which was mostly just feeding some of the larger species of fish around the reef that had over time, come to trust him. The feed fell from his hands and there was a momentary frenzy in the water as the fish scattered in a free-for-all to pick up the leftovers.

Stephen breaking out of his chrysalis and becoming a more active variable in their relationship was something Tony had only dreamed of, and now that it was a thing, he was more than happy to lap up and preen under any and all attention he received from the other.

He nuzzled into the side of Stephen's face and waited for the man to gently state what he'd come to inquire about, to him the man-o-war could have come to ask for several things, so Tony didn't jump to assumptions on it.

Stephen was quiet for a long moment, mulling over his words as he cuddled against Tony before sighing softly and simply getting it out. “... I love you. I want to bear your offspring.”

This was enough to get the leviathan's full attention and he finally turned around in Stephen's gasp so he was facing the man-o-war.

"Are you sure you've thought about this, and you're comfortable?" his voice was hopeful but he also wanted to make sure that this was something Stephen was ready for as his arms came around the other man's waist.

“I have. It’s all I’ve been thinking about for weeks,” Stephen huffed softly, allowing his arms to simply loop loosely around Tony’s neck as he watched him. “I agreed to be your mate, and I would’ve agreed to carry your offspring regardless - but I love you, and I want to give you this. I want to have this for both of us… and… it’s the right time now. Or soon at least… if that’s… if you still want that?”

Tony made a soft purring noise as he bumped his forehead against Stephen's. Something in the water changed and the leviathan was overcome with a sense of adoration for the man in his arms.

"I would love nothing more and I've waited to hear those words from your mouth, for a long time now..." he stated huskily, placing a kiss atop Stephen's temple. His tentacles came around once again to coil around Stephen's body, holding him tightly to his chest as he enjoyed the contact they shared.

“Good,” Stephen’s hands brushed at Tony’s cheeks gently as he watched the other. “N-not here though. We’ve made a perfectly serviceable nest… a-and you know that this will mean you have a lot of work to do, right? I won’t hunt for myself much, and the reef will still need to be guarded and… I’ll be counting on you for a lot of things. So, just… you know. Just make sure you’re sure?”

The man-o-war laid back to drag Tony along with him on his belly, gently guiding them towards their nest as he cast a brief glance at his stingray companion, who simply shuffled off, getting the message easily enough.

Tony simply let Stephen guide them, he had both hands on the pale Touched's hips and his eyes closed for the moment as he held close, opening them when Stephen had moved them over to the little cavern.

With an impish grin, he pushed Stephen down on his back into the nest, reaching up to run a hand over the man-o-war’s face, smoothing it down the side, over his chest and to his stomach where he massaged gently.

"I bet you would look even more beautiful carrying our young," he commented softly, both hands moving to rest on his hips as he took a moment to look over the man he'd grown so close to.

"That's a high bar to set," the man-o-war responded quietly, his arms curled around Tony's neck loosely as he admired the leviathan with a gentle smile. "I can't always be incubating eggs, after all..."

"Or can you…?" Tony quirked his eyebrows playfully but the cadence of his voice clearly dictated he was  _ mostly _ joking. His thumbs smoothed over the other's hips and he continued to treasure the man underneath him before leaning in and stealing his lips in a kiss.

He distracted Stephen with the open-mouthed kiss while his tentacles began to curl around Stephen's chest and arms, grappling him.

Stephen wriggled and twisted a little in the hold with a stifled chuckle, before simply relaxing back into the nest and Tony’s tentacles with a soft hum of pleasure at the kiss. As dim as his glow was, Tony had learned it wasn’t an unhappiness thing - oftentimes, when the man-o-war didn’t want to be noticed or interrupted, the glow would dim to make him less of a target. This was a perfect example of the behaviour, as Stephen made efforts to make certain that they weren’t gathering any undue attention, despite that they were fully concealed in their cavern.

The pale Touched brushed at Tony where he could reach, rubbing his form against Tony’s, or gently stroking his fingers through the leviathan’s hair, his tail attempting to twine itself around his mate’s to pull them closer together.

Tony nudged his body down into Stephen, the bulge of his cock pressing up against the fold of skin at Stephen's groin. One unoccupied tentacle explored his mate's form, snaking over his hips and starting to tease at the opening in between their bodies. He prodded gently into the fold, sliding in and exploring it as he nibbled at Stephen's neck playfully.

"If any of this at all bothers you or hurts, let me know love," he crooned softly, nodding his nose into Stephen's cheek.

Stephen gave a little nod at that, nuzzling Tony in return with a low moan of pleasure. He curled more tightly against Tony, his body undulating against the exploratory tentacle without the hesitations he’d had months earlier.

“Tony,” he whispered softly, fingers curling into Tony’s hair as he tilted his head to one side to give Tony whatever access to his neck he wanted.

His sharp fangs dragged across Stephen's neck and the tapered tentacle continued to probe further, Stephen's body writhing underneath him, squirming.

He let out a sharp exhale, hitting a snag against Stephen's muscles with the suckers on his tendril, the man-o-war's body tensed and he pushed slowly, snaking even further, the nubby protrusions on his tentacles still catching on the tight muscles and inner walls of the Touched's body. It stopped when it couldn’t reach further, swelling momentarily which elicited a series of grips and clawing from his mate before it contracted again, extceeting something slick and warm inside of him

Stephen yelped softly, his fingers curling into Tony's shoulders, leaving little marks in the Leviathan's obsidian hide, which didn't seem to bother Tony in the least.

"Still holding in there, love? It's going to get a lot rougher..." he soothed, peppering gentle loving kisses over Stephen's neck and nuzzling with his nose, taking in the velvety soft skin of the other.

“I’m okay,” Stephen gave a little nod at that, nestling his nose into Tony’s hair for a few moments and taking a couple of deep breaths. “I’m okay,” he reiterated quietly continuing to hold Tony tightly against himself.

It took a few moments for the man-o-war to relax further, simply allowing Tony to hold him in place. His head rested back to watch Tony, fingers running gently over the wounds he’d inflicted. “Go ahead,” Stephen finally smiled a little. “Please?”

"Mmhmm, anything for you..." Tony purred softly and he began to push harder into Stephen. The tentacle pushed and forced its way deeper into the other's body, sliding in with ease aside from the resistance met through the tightness of Stephen's muscles.

"Relax for me," he pulled back to give the man-o-war a peck on his forehead and Stephen let out a soft mewl, tilting his head in some discomfort. "I won't be pushing further," he reassured, littering the man's face with kisses before he gave Stephen time to relax.

The other Touched was breathing pretty heavily in and out, the venture drawing energy from him, more than he would have suspected as he watched the rise and fall of the other's stomach.

"I'll give you a moment..."

“It’s… really deep,” Stephen stated softly, his body particularly still as his hand briefly went to his stomach as though he might feel the tentacle under his fingers before slowly settling and trying to relax again. His breathing evened out - almost a little too slowly for how concentrated on relaxing his muscles the man-o-war was - before he glanced up at Tony again with a soft smile.

“Okay. I’m okay…”

Tony let out a deep breath before he tucked his head into Stephen's neck, hands coming up to grasp his shoulders. "I'll take it slow for you, this process can be a little  _ taxing _ on some from experience," he spoke softly. There was a moment where he pushed, or seemed like he was pushing and then his tentacle tensed before it swelled and bulged inside of the man-o-war feeding something through and inside to Stephen's body.

He felt the other's skin tighten around his tentacle, muscles going a tense despite his efforts to relax and the lump in his tendril pushed slowly through the tight canal until Tony's eyes clenched and there was a moment before something popped into the other's body, some respite to the tautness.

Stephen gave a soft cry at that, doing his best not to jerk slightly in his spot as he curled in to press his face against Tony’s shoulder, shuddering slightly. He took a long moment to try and even out his breathing again, to attempt to make his body relax once more as he shivered a little again and held fast to Tony.

“... I’m… that… that’s new,” he offered with a small, breathless chuckle. “But… not as bad as you made it out to be… kind of pleasant...”

"There's a lot more where that came from," Tony spoke softly, trying to reassure the man in his arms who was basically putty. He took the lack of protesting as a good sign and waited another moment before he began to push even more into him.

He felt Stephen's body clench and stiffen as they passed through the tighter recesses of his body, muscles clenching around the depositing eggs within his tentacles as if involuntary reactions.

"Stephen, love, relax," he soothed again, and he felt the man's walls slacken once more, three more eggs popping through the breach of tight muscles as he kissed and whispered soft little reassurances against his neck.

More soft cries escaped from the man in his grasp but no commands or cries to stop, just a mix of pleasure and slight pain as the orbs pressed in, starting to shape in his stomach where Tony smoothed a hand over lovingly. He felt the swelling of his belly, lightly pressing with two fingers to feel the malleable eggs that shifted under the weight of his touch.

Dazed and focused on the feeling of eggs steadily filling him, Stephen took a long moment to realize Tony’s hands had settled on his belly, as barely muted whimpers slipped out of him. A hand moved to rest over Tony’s after a moment and Stephen’s gaze eventually followed to the slight bump of his belly, leaving Stephen to smile softly as he tried to stay relaxed.

The man-o-war’s free hand moved to tug Tony down into a kiss as he fastened his tail around Tony’s again, holding him close. He was clearly making efforts to remain relaxed, as his body would tense and stiffen some now and then, but he didn’t complain at any point, keeping his hand rested on Tony’s between them.

Tony pressed his tongue into Stephen's mouth, completely absorbed in the liplock. At some point, during the kiss, he felt the other grow to a set girth before he was no longer able to deposit further. Regardless, he stayed perched inside the man, pressing his tongue into the man-o-war and pushing his head back as he was entirely taken by the kiss, the last of his unfertilized eggs completely pumped into Stephen's body and a swollen stomach on his mate to show for it.

His hand gently smoothed over the sensitive swell like he was holding a treasure, letting out a soft grumble against the other's lips.

The pale Touched responded with a soft hum of content, releasing his belly to curl both arms around Tony, holding him close for a few long moments, fingers brushing at his hair and over the ridges that marked where Tony’s tentacles connected to his back.

When he pulled his head away finally he relaxed back into the nest and moved his hands to his stomach curiously, feeling over the slight lumps that marked each of the eggs that had settled there, though the movement seemed to resettled them a little, leaving him to squirm slightly at the sensation of them shifting. His face was painted with exhaustion and fascination in equal measure as he glanced between his protruding stomach and Tony thoughtfully.

“... thank you,” Stephen smiled, moving his hands to rest over Tony’s hand as he held him in place.

"Mmm, shouldn't I be thanking you?" Tony crooned softly bumping his head into Stephen and cradling the other's soft tummy in both of his hands. They smoothed over it, trying settle the dispersed eggs, eyes shut as he simply absorbed the moment and let out a pleased exhale.

"From this, hopefully... a new generation of Touched, though up until this point it's been difficult to raise a brood since our kind is so… thinned out," he vouched with a soft voice.

His tendrils softly squeezed, winding around the other's arms, keeping him close in his clutches.

Stephen’s smile warmed as he watched Tony. “You can thank me if you want, but it really goes both ways. I love you. I’ll take care of them… I trust you’ll keep all of us safe in the meantime,” he added as he cuddled in against his mate. 

“Though, I just realized I have no idea what to expect from this whole thing. Are they going to get bigger? Will they harden inside? Do they stay soft?” Stephen mused aloud as he ran a hand over his stomach where Tony wasn’t already stroking. “I know at some point I’ll lay them and protect them until they hatch but… I’ve never had little ones before.”

Tony nuzzled his head into the other with the most adoring smile he could muster, there was something about it that seemed almost hollow as he considered.

"They will stay soft… malleable until you lay them, they will harden in the nest and I will provide for and protect both you and Levi. Never question that I will be there for you," he took Stephen's trembling hands and clutched them gently. "Unless something should happen to me."

He gave the other a squeeze, considerate of Stephen's stomach.

“D-don’t say that!” Stephen sat up, giving him a sharp look at that. “Why would you say that? Nothing’s going to happen to you,” the man-o-war added adamantly, his glow brightening considerably as he freed his hands from Tony’s to rest one on either of Tony’s cheeks. “You hear me? Nothing. Levi will stay with you. He’ll protect you.  _ I’ll _ protect you!”

As Stephen’s hands released him, they shone with magic, drawing in energy from around him into delicate strands, weaving themselves around Tony as the leviathan watched on with curiosity. He hadn’t seen such a dramatic weaving of magic from his mate before. Stephen had healed his ribs before, but it hadn’t been anything quite so extravagant as all of this.

“Stay still,” the man-o-war instructed firmly as the magic coiled around Tony carefully, a beautiful set of patterns settling against his skin and seeming to seep into him as Stephen continued.

He hadn't expected this kind of response from his mate, it was a 'for-better-or-worse' mention but he hadn't wanted to distress his love.

"I was just saying… In case - I don't plan to give up without a fight but-" he looked around them, feeling the magic channelled into his body and he wasn't sure what was going on given he wasn't prepared for this. "I will protect your reef for you, I will tend to your children, I will tend to you in all ways I possibly can," he flashed Stephen a soft smile, though still somewhat confused.

“ _ Our _ children,” Stephen stated rather pointedly, his eyes glowing brightly as he continued to carefully weave a protective shield over Tony, before finally settling into his spot, watching Tony with a look of indignance. “There. I won’t let anything hurt you if I can do something about it. I love you and I’m keeping you with me. Someone has to show me the ropes of taking care of these little buggers when they hatch.”

Tony wore an almost apologetic smile but he nodded softly and collected both of Stephen's hands in his own as he brought them up to kiss the tips of his knuckles gently.

"I won't let you down, we will be there together, through thick and thin," he assured, letting go with one hand to reach behind him as if probing for something.

His fingers returned, tipped in black ink as he pressed them to Stephen's body and began to draw over the swell, a spiral in the center surrounded by tribalistic runes, dragging his middle and index finger over the man's sternum up to his shoulders and marking his right side with an imbalanced spiral as well.

"This should keep predators away..." he mumbled softly. "I would have used it earlier but I hadn't known what you would tolerate in the earlier stages of our relationship considering it's 'effects'.”

“What’s all this…?” Stephen inquired softly, tilting his head some to try and take a look at Tony’s handiwork, before simply looking at Tony in question. “What effects do you mean? Is this safe for the eggs? Should I be worried?”

His hands didn’t touch where the ink was, but they cradled his belly nevertheless as he awaited some kind of clarity on the matter, looking mildly uneasy.

"Ink," Tony stated simply as he shook his fingers out in the water around them, the black fading from them. "There is a pheromone within it that some have mentioned feeling affected by," he soothed, running his palms back over Stephen's stomach, leaning down to place a kiss there. "It's more than safe, it will keep predators away, just as I marked your cave when you were injured with the very same substance. You may have been too weak to feel its effects though," he added softly.

“You haven’t told me what that pheromone does,” Stephen responded with a little smile. “... should I assume that effect is one of arousal and that’s why you’re being so evasive about it? Or do you expect that somehow I’ll be… ‘warded off’ by it?” he chuckled, brushing at Tony’s hair and watching him adoringly as Tony kissed his belly.

"Well, yes… I didn't want it to make you uncomfortable back when you weren't exactly ready for this kind of… stimulation if you will," he added softly. 

“I’ll make sure to keep the cavern well hidden as long as you can come and find me still. I don’t want you getting lost… so how shall we mark the entrance?” Stephen inquired absently.

"I have more than my eyes to help guide me back to you, love," he cooed softly and cradled Stephen's stomach. His tentacles wrapped around Stephen's body even more tightly, planting a soft kiss on his stomach.

“Good, then I’ll make sure this place is well hidden to those not so capable of finding their way otherwise. I’ll stay safe and keep them safe… Levi and my spells will help keep you safe…” Stephen hummed happily, his fingers continuing to drift through Tony’s hair gently. “I love you, Tony. We’ll raise a strong brood together… with Levi, because you know he won’t be left out of this equation.”

"I love you too, more than words could ever describe, I always have, always will," he smiled, having wrapped the other man in a flurry of tentacles, taking this moment to finally withdraw his tentacle so he could press as close as possible to his mate. Stephen gave a soft gasp as the tentacle was finally removed, before nestling in further against Tony with a little shudder.

"I will keep you safe, both you and Levi, I will care and tend to your reef, and I will hunt for you, and we both will care for this wonderful brood."

“Then I suppose we won’t have much of anything to worry about, will we?” the man-o-war offered a smile of his own, curling around Tony and his tummy all at once, and making himself comfortable in the nest. “... okay, I’m a tiny bit achy now. Everything feels like it’s been rearranged,” he lamented softly, trying to find some way to get comfortable after all.

"Mmm, what can I do to make you more comfortable?" he withdrew his tentacles, slightly worried that the other would struggle with pain from his appendages. Claws raked gently along the skin of his belly as he soothed the man beneath him.

“I don’t know. I think it’ll just take a little time to adjust… that was… kind of rapid swelling, regardless of whether I’m built for it or not it’s still going to take some adapting to. Organs rearranging and the like,” Stephen sighed. His body shifted and he finally rested on his back, giving a soft noise of relief. “Oh, that’s a little better… Come cuddle?”

Tony slid himself up to his level having to untangle their tails for a moment, sneaking his arm in behind Stephen's back and pulling him into his arms. His tentacles gently curled around the bottom of his stomach to support him, cradling his swollen belly, one over the top of the swell and one below while the others wrapped around his arms.

Both his arms were around Stephen's shoulders as he rested his chin on the man's head, cradling him. "It may take some time, but the soreness will ease a bit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was co-written by two authors from start to finish. You can find us on Twitter:
> 
> [Amy (Foxglove)](https://twitter.com/marvelwizardmom)  
[Astral (Bravehardt)](https://twitter.com/Kraionis)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight warning: there's a small portion of this chapter that may hit a little close to home for anyone who's had a miscarriage. It is brief, but we'd rather people were prepared than caught off-guard. 💙

The gestation period passed fairly uneventfully, though Tony had a lot on his plate during the whole period. Between caring for the reef, hunting for Stephen and himself (Levi proved capable of getting his own food) and trying to make sure Stephen was comfortable and taken care of, it was a considerable amount of work for the leviathan, but well worth it.

His mate, despite dealing with the dichotomy of being both really full and still wanting sex, was cheerful as could be, and constantly excited to see him after he’d been gone most of the day - with one exception. The day Tony returned and Stephen had laid the eggs in his absence.

The man-o-war seemed exhausted, his body draped around and over the small clutch of eggs, too worn out to speak and too sore to eat much. At Tony’s behest, Stephen finally took two of the smaller fish Tony had caught into his stingers and slowly absorbed them into himself before curling up in some pain. There was a small amount of blood in the water, though Stephen didn’t seem concerned and Tony had enough of a history with the laying of eggs to be unsurprised by this.

“How long, do you think, before they hatch?” Stephen inquired the next day, still curled in his spot and clearly worn out, but looking considerably better than he had the night before.

"You'll be looking after them for about a month, give or take. They won't get any bigger than that, and the eggs won't get too much harder either," he added, coming down to sidle up next to Stephen, his tentacles gently wrapping around his mate.

He pressed his lips into Stephen's neck, nosing past the plumage of silken frills as he cuddled in close to his mate. "I will bring you everything you need until that time," he mumbled softly, trailing his lips up towards Stephen's ear and nuzzling in, peppering gentle, loving kisses there.

“I can think of worse things,” Stephen chuckled, his hands running over the tops of the eggs rather lovingly. “Do you think you and Levi can manage the reef for another month? You must be getting tired by now, I should think. Is the reef still okay? If you need advice or anything I can always…” he trailed off after a moment, glancing briefly towards his mate before giving a small smile. “... never mind. I’m sure you’ve got this for another month.”

"Well it's colourful, it's still there and there are no predators. I think I picked up everything I needed from you. I think I've been fine and I'll look after it as long as you need me to." He chuckled softly, leaning further into Stephen's space as he rumbled softly into his skin.

“You planning to stay with me for a little longer today, then?” Stephen smiled, watching Tony with that continued look of exhaustion. He clearly needed to rest and yet Stephen’s tail curled around him some to hold him close as he cuddled in. “I’m hardly going to complain if that’s the plan…”

"Anything for you my love, I want to stay and spend some time with our newly laid eggs, and my lovely mate," he squeezed Stephen's tail with his own, wrapping his arms fully around the pale Touched's midsection and began to gently massage Stephen's stomach. "Not going to lie... I do miss the belly," he teased softly.

“I miss it a little, too,” Stephen laughed, shaking his head as he cuddled his mate happily. “But it isn’t as though it’s gone forever… you’ll just have to give me a bit of time to recover from these little ones before we delve into that again. I think that’s fair.”

"Mmmm I would love that, I love taking care of you, nothing gave me more purpose than caring for you and our young," he assured, "but that doesn't mean we can't simply just have sex, at least until you're better," his tentacles gave Stephen a playful squeeze.

“Someone has grand ideas. I’m still aching from pushing these guys out, though…” the man-o-war lamented, tucking himself against Tony further. “Soon, though? I really hope soon. I’ve been impossibly horny and I hate that I’m so achy now…”

"Well..." Tony reached his hand down to lightly tease at the slit at Stephen's groin, lightly teasing with his fingers and attempting to coax him to hardness, slowly. "Doesn't mean I can't make you feel good..." he cooed.

“Tony…” Stephen whimpered softly, relaxing against his mate with a pleased sigh. “And what about… you? How can I… help you feel good…?”

"Knowing that you feel good, makes me feel good love," he reassured as his fingers dug in and he felt the stiffening of the soft flesh inside. He fingered around gently, feeling the protrusion grow until it peaked through the cleft of soft flesh.

He took the sensitive organ and stroked it between his fingers, nuzzling into the side of Stephen's face as he massaged his cock.

“Tony…” It was a moan of pleasure then, Stephen’s body wriggling slightly before he swallowed a bit hard. “We… we should move away from the eggs at least,” he suggested, biting at his lip slightly, “I don’t want… to accidentally knock them with my tail…”

The point was a fair one - Stephen had a tendency of wiggling and writhing when he was stimulated, and they were already curled up against the eggs.

Tony scooped him up into his arms and towed him to the back of the cave where he pinned him against the wall, he leaned back and coiled Stephen back up in his tentacles, gently stroking the pale Touched, having coaxed him to a handful. "Mmmm good idea love."

Stephen looked a little disoriented at first, though he didn’t have long to linger on it as Tony continued to be pointedly attentive to his growing arousal. His tail curled around his mate’s as he held the other in place, not nearly as competent with that as Tony was but making clear efforts as his arms curled around Tony’s shoulders to hold him close.

A low moan echoed around the cavern at Tony’s ministrations and Stephen’s forehead rested against Tony’s shoulder as he rocked into the leviathan’s hand.

One of Tony's tentacles took over, wrapping around his fully erect cock now, Tony's hands soon found themselves on Stephen's hips and he ground lightly against Stephen, a soft groan escaping the leviathan's mouth as he took part in the gesture. 

It didn't take much for Tony to reach full erection, getting into the mood. The tentacle wrapped around their cocks and he pressed the undersides together, stroking and curling around them, jerking both he and Stephen off in unison.

"Better?" he inquired in a low, husky voice.

Stephen gasped, a nod escaping him as he pressed firmly against Tony, the varied textures and warmth of the various appendages against his own proving surprisingly stimulating as he adjusted in his spot the little he could. “M-much better,” he said, his words buried against Tony’s neck as he rocked his hips firmly into Tony’s.

Tony's claws slid up to run through the soft plumage on the back of Stephen's neck and he gently massaged and raked them over his skin to tease at the soft flesh. His tentacles continued to jerk and stimulate their cocks together, the suckers holding on tightly to the both of them as the soft underside worked its way up and down.

Tony pressed his face into Stephen's veil with a gentle knock of his hips once again, letting out breathy exhales. "Goodness, you feel amazing… It's been, too long..." he exhaled.

“Pretty sure… this is all you, my love,” Stephen gave a breathy chuckle at that, shuddering in his spot as his body tensed in an effort to hold himself back from the edge. He jerked and twisted in his spot a little, giving a small whine of pleasure before burying his face further against Tony’s neck. “I’m… not gonna last long,” he admitted after a moment.

"Cum for me," Tony encouraged lowly, "let go love, I've got you here." A hand slipped away from Stephen's neck to help add even more stimulation. He tucked into Stephen's veil and sought his lips, nibbling at the corner of his mouth.

It didn’t take much more than that, a couple of strokes and Stephen was done, his body shuddering against Tony’s as he rained kisses over the other’s jaw and chin in return. He gave a deep groan as he released in the space between them and it was dispersed a little at a time by the water.

Seeing Stephen so indulgent in his bliss set him over not long after, there were a few more strokes and he seized up, clutching onto the man-o-war and letting out the most subjected moan he had in a while before his climax followed and he coaxed the rest of it out gently with a sucker on his tentacle.

"Mmmm, love you," he murmured, nuzzling him softly.

“Love you, too…” Stephen responded quietly, nestling against his mate with a warm smile. “So very, very much…”

The smile turned playful after a moment. “Now, I think you’ve set the morning off right, haven’t you? But there are things you should be taking care of and I have some eggs to cuddle with until you return from being a diligent reef guardian.”

"Careful now, or you might make me jealous," Tony teased, placing a kiss on Stephen's forehead. He grinned and gave him a final squeeze before he gave himself a moment to enjoy the afterglow, opening his eyes again to look at his mate. "I just want, a few more minutes," he mumbled.

"Maybe that was intentional. I'm going to be very busy when they're born you know," Stephen hummed softly. "Between caring for the reef again and watching the little ones, I'm not sure how much affection you're going to get. Then what? Hmmm?"

"Oh, is that the game you want to play here? I see... You must not want much affection either then," Tony's grin widened as he stared his precious jelly down, poking a finger into his pec softly.

“I’ll get lots of affection from the little ones! What are you thinking?" Stephen returned playfully at him, shaking his head and nosing at his cheek slightly, pressing a light kiss there and tilting his head some.

"I guess I'll just have to  _ take what's mine _ then if it really boils down to it," Tony gently ran his fingers along the underside of Stephen's chin, dragging his nails lightly over Stephen's tender neck.

"That sounds like it could be fun. Maybe you should try to hunt me down sometime," Stephen grinned at him, resting his head back to allow Tony to run his fingers over the sensitive, vulnerable flesh.

"Mmm, playing hard to get once more are you?" Tony rumbled, dragging his teeth over Stephen's neck, feeling a little turned on by the prospect of playing such a game with his mate. "You were easy enough to catch the first time."

“Do you think I’ll always be so easy to catch?” the man-o-war teased, shivering a little bit. “I can be very tricky when I want to be…” he pressed another gently kiss to Tony’s cheek, nestling against him briefly.

“I should return to keeping the eggs warm. And you should attend to the reef, my love.”

Tony kept the other tightly in his grasp before reluctantly letting go of his mate, eyes lingering on Stephen's body as he untangled himself and curled up around the nest of eggs.

He blew Stephen a kiss. "I'll be back later, holler if you need anything!" 

He swam out of the cave, nodding to Levi to change out and watch Stephen as he headed off towards the reef to begin his rounds.

* * *

Stephen didn’t call out to him. Not in words, anyway - it was an entirely different kind of awareness when the man-o-war alerted Tony to something going on in the cavern. He could feel the electricity twisting over his skin and a subconscious  _ pull _ to check on his mate. It became quickly apparent why it had happened.

The Touched hovered near the eggs, looking at them with wide, excited eyes as he glanced between Tony and them, and the eggs had clearly shifted in their spot. One egg, in particular, seemed to rock and bubble up oddly in various spots as though the creature inside was trying to escape. 

Their offspring.

“They’re hatching,” Stephen declared with excitement, his glow bright with anticipation as he twisted around the eggs to curl around Tony a little, encouraging him to come closer. “Our young are hatching.”

Tony hovered closer with a wide-eyed bewildered look on his face. As many mates as he'd had in the past, this wasn't a common occurrence. In fact, this was the first.

One of his tentacles came to rest around Stephen's waist as they both hovered over the small egg that wiggled back and forth, the rest in the nest lay still as the single one hatched, brighter and more colourful than all the rest.

Shortly enough the side of the egg was punctured open and a young octopus-esque jellyfish emerged, a large head, tendrils like Tony but frills and glowing segments, pale and blue much like Stephen.

Tony seemed to be caught in a spell, tilting his head curiously at the young one before brandishing a wide smile.

"In all my years..." he started, looking quickly over to Stephen with all the love in the world. "This is more than I ever could have expected, ever could have asked for..." And while Tony extended a hand out to the young hatchling none of the other eggs stirred as if they were dead in the water.

Stephen greeted the little one with a bright, warm smile, nestled against Tony for a moment before looking expectantly at the other eggs, slowly becoming a bit distraught as shuffling away from Tony to gently nudge the other eggs as though he could encourage them to hatch. He gave a low noise of distress as his hands lit up in a familiar healing glow.

“... come on out… please, it’s okay…” he called to them softly, flitting his hands between the eggs, checking them for signs of life steadily more frantically.

After a long moment, there were no other hatchlings and the glow around the eggs seemed to fade as Tony took their newly hatched tadpole and held it aloft in one of his tentacles. It had latched onto his finger and his other arm came around to squeeze Stephen close, an almost apologetic look on his face.

"In all my years of mates and clutches..." he began anew as Stephen looked utterly heartbroken and defeated. "This is the first spawn I've ever hatched, none have ever… survived." He spoke softly with an almost solemn look, but he was at the same time overjoyed at the first young in his tentacle holding onto his finger.

"This is a feat for me, Stephen… I never anticipated anything out of this but you brought my first child into the world,  _ our _ first child."

Stephen gave a soft, slightly sad look at that, tucking himself in against Tony and reaching to run his fingers gently over their small child. “I… I really tried to take care of them. I thought… they’d…” The Touched shuddered after a moment, tucking his head against Tony’s side as he finally processed Tony’s words.

“... it’s… it’s not my fault, right? I tried to keep them safe. I… did my best. I don’t know what more I could have done to…” he trailed off, cupping his hands and reaching up towards their young one. “Oh, my love, little light of my life, come here…” he cooed softly, intent on holding the small bundle close to the two of them, clearly in need of the reassurance.

"I guess I should have warned you ahead of time, I was just… so hopeful. You were so hopeful, so excited, so dedicated," Tony tilted his head to the other side and curled his tail around Stephen's. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. This isn't your fault, not at all, you did everything within your power, we both did but I've never had any of my eggs hatch and half of my partners couldn't even hold brood," he spoke quietly.

"I've had generations of partners and nothing in all of my time has worked until now," he reassured, cradling Stephen to his chest.

“Then I guess,” Stephen began slowly, “the answer to this is that we ought to have many, many more. I was expecting many little ones. Though… I suppose only having one little one will allow for a good learning curve if this is the first time for both of us… the parenting thing.” After a moment, the man-o-war glanced up from his spot to look at Tony with a small smile.

He wasn’t okay, still, but he was clearly trying to be. “What shall we name the little one?”

Tony pulled Stephen's head down against his collarbone and gently stroked the back of his head, trying to soothe the man-o-war.

"I would never be opposed to that my love, I would have as many children as you wish, we will raise our legacy here in the reef," he mumbled softly trying to calm Stephen.

"How does… Jarvis sound to you?”

Stephen thought it over carefully, hummed in consideration for a moment before giving a slight nod at that. “What do you think, little one? How does Jarvis suit you?”

The critter nestled between them, curling into the nest Stephen made of his hands as he touched at Tony, but made no real suggestion of acknowledgement, leaving the man-o-war to smile wryly. “I suppose asking a newborn for input on their name is a little bit senseless, isn’t it? Oh well. Jarvis sounds lovely to me.”

"I think he will be just happy with the name, and he will grow up to be the next to learn and guard the reef, to help me ease your burdens," Tony smiled, pecking Stephen softly on the neck with a broad smile.

"Thank you so much love, this means everything to me. I love you both so much," he ran a finger over Jarvis's head and cuddled into Stephen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! That's the end of Fathomless! We've been so surprised by how supportive and invested you've all been in an AU! We know AUs aren't everyone's cup of tea and they can be really hard to get into often enough, and yet you've all come back, again and again, to show us a lot of love on this piece and we're so happy you've enjoyed it as much as you have! Thank you all so much for reading our little sea baby, and we want you to know that every comment and kudo has meant the world to us. 💙💜
> 
> Taking over Fathomless's spot on the Friday schedule, next week we'll be introducing: _Dreams & Fantasies,_ a Civil War/Doctor Strange divergent piece with a hard Explicit rating for smut to go along with its concept: sex-worker Stephen. If it's up your alley, we hope to see you there!
> 
> This story was co-written by two authors from start to finish. You can find us on Twitter:
> 
> [Amy (Foxglove)](https://twitter.com/marvelwizardmom)  
[Astral (Bravehardt)](https://twitter.com/Kraionis)


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